Geopolitical analyst Ian Bremmer makes his living addressing the world’s most powerful government and financial leaders on an emerging global leadership vacuum poised to transform the world.

On Thursday, as he prepared to address several hundred business and community leaders at the Hilton Harrisburg, Bremmer was asked to put his theories on the ramifications of that changing world order in the context of the region.

View full sizeIan Bremmer founded the Eurasia Group in 1998. It provides geopolitical analysis to corÂ­porate and government clients throughout the world. His new book is âEvery Nation For Itself: Winners and Losers in a G-Zero World.â

“The U.S. is a lot stronger than you think it is,” he said. “In a world of much greater volatility, the importance of the U.S. as safe haven for capital gets larger. More people are stuck with the dollar in that environment. More people go into U.S. equities in that environment. Capital gets cheaper for the United States.”

Bremmer, in Harrisburg at the behest of retired Harsco Corp. CEO Derek Hathaway, met with a small group of reporters and editors, expounding on the complexities of a changing global landscape.

As emerging markets such as Russia, Brazil and China continue to expand, traditional global powers, including the United States, must shift their approach to business in order to survive in the global market, he said.

Bremmer said he believes the world is in a “transformational moment” not seen since the end of World War II.

That transformational moment, however, is not being led by the U.S., but emerging markets, which now account for 50 percent of global economic growth, he said.

“It’s not G-7. It’s not G-20,” he said. “It’s the absence of global leadership.” In that respect, he added, it’s a “G-zero” world.

Businesses and investors should consider the growth possibilities in emerging markets, but also would be wise to look at stable governments in a rapidly changing world, he said.

“If you are an investor, if you are a business and looking at this G-zero world, you are looking at a world where resilience starts to matter at least as much as growth,” Bremmer said. “Stability matters at least as much as returns ... in that kind of environment.”

“You link them together because there is no more global framework, global leadership,” he said. “You see these crises without a coordinated response.”

Bremmer’s evening presentation to an audience hosted by the Harrisburg Regional Chamber and Capital Region Economic Development Corp. was entitled “Too Big to Fail.”

“You think Bank of America is too big to fail?” he asked. “That’s not true. America is too big to fail. And that’s the problem the rest of the world has.”

Bremmer said he viewed the race between President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney as essentially a toss-up.

“It’s not a done deal,” he said. “Obama clearly is favored, but I would caution against believing the ... remarks that were spread in the last couple days are the end of the Romney campaign. I think it’s still a live election. It could go either way.”

Hathaway, a philanthropist, said his timing in inviting Bremmer to speak about his book, “Every Nation for Itself,” was perfect. He said Bremmer’s presentation amounted more to a public service than a business meeting.

“I have the conviction that although you may think we are talking about global stuff and it all sounds very complex and complicated, it will affect our lives as single individuals and as families,” Hathaway said. “That’s a fact. Things are going to change, and they are changing now right before our eyes.”

Bremmer said he considered neither Romney nor Obama transformational figures, a label he said only German Chancellor Angela Merkel has earned.

The U.S. political and legislative system, he said, are too entrenched and vested in private interests for any one figure to be transformational.

“Obama might have been a transformational figure on culture, society, religion, race,” Bremmer said. “But those are not the issues that are driving Americans today. America is focusing overwhelmingly on joblessness and the economy. I don’t think Obama is transformational on that issue, nor do I believe Romney will be.”

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